Vinatieri

[Creekside]

Just thinking out loud....why is Adam still on the roster with all the house cleaning?....he's old, his contract must be big (for a kicker), he's had injury problems in recent years....a decent, young, cheap kicker could be drafted late...why not get one with one of the three 7th round picks?.....Colts currently have the pick for Mr. Irrelevant....That's where the Chiefs drafted their good young kicker a few years ago....

[Busta]

I agree.. but people in this forum will say his contract isnt going to matter and you might as well keep him instead of wasting time cutting and then picking up a player that isnt going to make a difference.

[Boiler_Colt]

Because clutch kickers are hard to find and he will be a veteran presence in the locker room.

[schwamm]

His contract isnt going to matter and you might as well keep him instead of wasting time cutting and then picking up a player that isnt going to make a difference.

I just wanted Busta to look like a genius...

[Busta]

Clutch kickers are needed in playoffs and super bowls.. realistically when is that suppose to happen?

[Creekside]

Clutch kickers are needed in playoffs and super bowls.. realistically when is that suppose to happen?

.....that's what I was going to say.....Vinny will be done when the Colt's make a serious push for a championship...in two or three years when the Colts are (hopefully) a serious contender...they could have good, young, experienced kicker still on a rookie contract.....

[Coltman51]

He should have only a year or two left on his contract, sure someone will ccorrect me if wrong. Money shouldn't be that great and he is still a quality player. We can't change everything in one year, would expect to be looking for a draft pick next year for this, or someone cut going into the new year. Of course he could get mad and quit if his buddy Snow disappears

[Boiler_Colt]

Clutch kickers are needed in playoffs and super bowls.. realistically when is that suppose to happen?

You don't think it will help a young QB's confidence knowing that if he gets the team in field goal range that Vinny will more than likely slot it home? He will be special teams captain this year and even though he's a kicker he commands respect from a ton of people of people in the locker room. A proven commodity on a team with very few. He could very well be the difference in a handful of wins this coming year.

[vinatierifan4]

Who says that, that young kicker will be good in the first place. I know of a kicker we used to had that was pretty darn good, but he wasn't good in the clutch, so just because your good doesn't mean your gonna make the big kicks, vinatieri is the best kicker ever IMO so why not keep him. hes "only" making three million or so.

[Creekside]

But why assume a rookie kicker will not be able to routinely knock through most kicks within 45-48 yds?.......most good kickers (with few exceptions are drafted in the late rounds ......seems to me the Colts could easily draft one of the top 2 or 3 prospects in the 7th round...where most picks are just throw away picks ...this one would actually be usefull......so many players are going to be in some stage of learning in 2012....why not let a kicker be one of them?....also.......Vinitieri does miss kicks........

[Creekside]

Who says that, that young kicker will be good in the first place. I know of a kicker we used to had that was pretty darn good, but he wasn't good in the clutch, so just because your good doesn't mean your gonna make the big kicks, vinatieri is the best kicker ever IMO so why not keep him. hes "only" making three million or so.

......................of course there are no guarentees......why draft anybody then?.............Colts will need a new kicker soon......seems like this year is the perfect year to draft one.....

[Rblake]

But Vinny can't kick more than a 45yd FG in Madden...

[Susie Q]

But why assume a rookie kicker will not be able to routinely knock through most kicks within 45-48 yds?.......most good kickers (with few exceptions are drafted in the late rounds ......seems to me the Colts could easily draft one of the top 2 or 3 prospects in the 7th round...where most picks are just throw away picks ...this one would actually be usefull......so many players are going to be in some stage of learning in 2012....why not let a kicker be one of them?....also.......Vinitieri does miss kicks........

Face it Viniteri makes a whole lot more kicks than misses. Wasn't there a couple of teams in the playoffs last year that if their kicker had made those kicks they would have gone farther in the playoffs? :???: Still need a few veterans in the locker room. JMO of course.

[Busta]

......................of course there are no guarentees......why draft anybody then?.............Colts will need a new kicker soon......seems like this year is the perfect year to draft one.....

Again agreed.. just the same reason why we didn't keep all our other vets around.. why keep the kicker. Some people can't move on it seems. We already moved on from Peyton lets just keep going.

[Susie Q]

Again agreed.. just the same reason why we didn't keep all our other vets around.. why keep the kicker. Some people can't move on it seems. We already moved on from Peyton lets just keep going.

It's not that people can't move on but it's also necessary to have some veteran players on the team. If we can pay Freeney 19 million what's 3 million to a clutch kicker.

[Creekside]

You don't think it will help a young QB's confidence knowing that if he gets the team in field goal range that Vinny will more than likely slot it home? He will be special teams captain this year and even though he's a kicker he commands respect from a ton of people of people in the locker room. A proven commodity on a team with very few. He could very well be the difference in a handful of wins this coming year.

.............same basic argument could be made for Saturday, Addei, Clark........

[Dr. T]

Mr. Irrelevant will be a kicker.

Walsh from Georgia, Wiggs from Purdue or Bullock from Texas A&M

[Superman]

What's the argument for getting rid of him? Just because we got rid of other players who had been here a long time, he should go too? He's still a good kicker. He's been healthy the past two seasons. There aren't significant savings by cutting him, although he is a highly paid kicker.

The players we got rid of hadn't been productive in two seasons, and weren't healthy at the time of their release. That's not true of Vinatieri.

Also, the idea that you only need a clutch kicker in the playoffs is so misguided that I don't know what to say about it. You need a clutch kicker even to get to the playoffs. I don't think very many expect the Colts to contend for a playoff spot this year, but when the game is on the line, a good kicker can mean the difference between a win and a loss. And if you face that scenario two or three times a year, you could be looking at the difference between a five win season and an eight win season. We've seen several teams over the past couple years lose critical games because of missed kicks.

[Superman]

.............same basic argument could be made for Saturday, Addei, Clark........

Saturday was a free agent. Addai and Clark haven't been productive in two seasons.

[Boiler_Colt]

.............same basic argument could be made for Saturday, Addei, Clark........

Except Addai and Clark are finished or else they'd be playing on some other team now. Kicker is one spot where you can be old and still be elite

[Creekside]

What's the argument for getting rid of him?

.............He'll be 40 in December.

[FireJimCaldwell]

Is he a good kicker? No doubt.

Will he be utilized any time soon for it to matter? not very likely.

You know deep down he was wanting to be a member of "The Castaways". So he could go to a team where his kicks have playoff implications.

[Boiler_Colt]

We don't want to waste a draft pick in a crucial draft on a kicker until we absolutely need one.

[Superman]

.............He'll be 40 in December.

He's a kicker. Morten Andersen kicked at a high level well into his 40s. Vinatieri kicked at a high level the past two seasons.

Next.

[dgambill]

IDK if you cut him but certainly I think we have to look at replacing him. We don't want to draft a kicker a few years down the road when we are fighting for the playoffs to only find out he lacks the clutch gene. I look at the next couple years as try outs for all positions as we make our way back to the top. Wether it be Mathis or Freeney or Collie or Brown we have to seriously look at all positions to see if these people deserve new contracts down the road or if we need an upgrade. I would like to have a kicker and let him work now when the playoffs aren't on the line. Get him some game on the line action that doesn't knock us out of the playoffs if he fails. If he can't handle the pressure than we find a replacement. If we wait a few years after Vinatieri's contract is up it could cost us our season. Personally I would like to let Vinny go..let him kick for a team that matters and get back in the playoffs and us find a new young kicker and get him some real experience before we throw him into the big fire of the playoffs.

[Creekside]

We don't want to waste a draft pick in a crucial draft on a kicker until we absolutely need one.

.....but this is really very much my point...why wait until you absolutely need one?....it's not like you can just pick one off a tree....he's almost 40!....how much longer can he play?....

[Boiler_Colt]

.....but this is really very much my point...why wait until you absolutely need one?....it's not like you can just pick one off a tree....he's almost 40!....how much longer can he play?....

Until he proves he can't.

[Superman]

Is he a good kicker? No doubt.

Will he be utilized any time soon for it to matter? not very likely.

You know deep down he was wanting to be a member of "The Castaways". So he could go to a team where his kicks have playoff implications.

So you'd get rid of your good kicker because you don't expect to have any meaningful kicking situations in the near future?

Matt Prater hit four game winning kicks last season. There was one game where he made a field goal to send the game into OT, then the winning one in OT. Plenty of clutch kicks for him last season. Without them, the Broncos are 4-12 and don't make the playoffs.

I don't get this argument.

[Superman]

IDK if you cut him but certainly I think we have to look at replacing him. We don't want to draft a kicker a few years down the road when we are fighting for the playoffs to only find out he lacks the clutch gene. I look at the next couple years as try outs for all positions as we make our way back to the top. Wether it be Mathis or Freeney or Collie or Brown we have to seriously look at all positions to see if these people deserve new contracts down the road or if we need an upgrade. I would like to have a kicker and let him work now when the playoffs aren't on the line. Get him some game on the line action that doesn't knock us out of the playoffs if he fails. If he can't handle the pressure than we find a replacement. If we wait a few years after Vinatieri's contract is up it could cost us our season. Personally I would like to let Vinny go..let him kick for a team that matters and get back in the playoffs and us find a new young kicker and get him some real experience before we throw him into the big fire of the playoffs.

I think we already have his replacement in Pat McAfee. He's shown that he has the leg to be a good kicker.

[Busta]

We don't want to waste a draft pick in a crucial draft on a kicker until we absolutely need one.

Hello Mr. Irrelevant pick.

[Andy]

I'd like to ride out Adam until he retires. A 7th round kicker will not Adam. Money isn't a problem because even with his big contract, we could afford it and we have tons of money in cap space next year and the year after that. I say keep Adam until he retires, b/c you're not going to find a kicker like him the draft. The best kicker last year and arguably one of the best kickers in NCAA history went in the 4th round and didn't have a year that could be considered better than Adam.

Bottomline, keep Adam until he retires and then draft a kicker.

[Blackhawk4]

.............He'll be 40 in December.

He's a kicker.....The age argument doesn't work for a while....Go look up Morten Anderson and take a look at how long he played in the NFL.

[FireJimCaldwell]

So you'd get rid of your good kicker because you don't expect to have any meaningful kicking situations in the near future?

Matt Prater hit four game winning kicks last season. There was one game where he made a field goal to send the game into OT, then the winning one in OT. Plenty of clutch kicks for him last season. Without them, the Broncos are 4-12 and don't make the playoffs.

I don't get this argument.

He is high priced for a kicker. I believe the Colts are years away from contending. A cheaper/younger alternative could be had, that grows with the team.

It's like Rosie O'Donnell in the newest Victoria Secret outfit of the month.

The 90 year old man that can't drive having a Ferrari.

A 400 dollar bat for a kid in little league.

Something nice to have, if there is a need for it...

[FireJimCaldwell]

I think we already have his replacement in Pat McAfee. He's shown that he has the leg to be a good kicker.

There you go...

[Creekside]

He's a kicker. Morten Andersen kicked at a high level well into his 40s. Vinatieri kicked at a high level the past two seasons.

Next.

...there are always exceptions to the rule......but even if he plays out his contract for the next two years, why not get a kicker who could probably make 85% of kicks under a rookie contract for 4 years?

[GoColts8818]

There was another thread about this a month ago where it was pointed out cutting Adam would result in a cap hit and that by the time you signed a new kicker who probably isn't as good as Adam it would end up saving the colts very little money and would just make another hole on a team that already has a tone of holes. No need to cut Adam.

[Creekside]

I'd like to ride out Adam until he retires. A 7th round kicker will not Adam. Money isn't a problem because even with his big contract, we could afford it and we have tons of money in cap space next year and the year after that. I say keep Adam until he retires, b/c you're not going to find a kicker like him the draft. The best kicker last year and arguably one of the best kickers in NCAA history went in the 4th round and didn't have a year that could be considered better than Adam.

Bottomline, keep Adam until he retires and then draft a kicker.

I respect your opinion, but it seems backwards to me...the Colts don't need a championship clutch kicker now....they very well may need one 2 years from now...THAT'S when you want to draft the rookie?...

[Andy]

I think we already have his replacement in Pat McAfee. He's shown that he has the leg to be a good kicker.

Although he did impress everyone with that video of him kicking the 65 yard + kicks, the fact of the matter is is that in college he only had a 73% FG percentage, and the farthest kick he kicked was 52 yards. I think there are better options out there, whether it be in the draft or FA.

Either way, I rather ride Adam out then dump him.

[Andy]

I respect your opinion, but it seems backwards to me...the Colts don't need a championship clutch kicker now....they very well may need one 2 years from now...THAT'S when you want to draft the rookie?...

Let me put it like this:

Adam Vinatieri is better than any college kicker, and any free agent. He's one of the best kickers in the league. He's not declining, he's actually had 2 productive seasons. He's the most clutch kicker of all time. He's still got a lot left in the tank.

Now, with that being said, you want to get rid of him because you want youth. I'm sorry, but that's very silly.

[Superman]

He is high priced for a kicker. I believe the Colts are years away from contending. A cheaper/younger alternative could be had, that grows with the team.

It's like Rosie O'Donnell in the newest Victoria Secret outfit of the month.

The 90 year old man that can't drive having a Ferrari.

A 400 dollar bat for a kid in little league.

Something nice to have, if there is a need for it...

The money argument is valid. We'd save $2.7 million on the cap this season and next by releasing him. But that's not an exorbitant price tag for a good kicker. And he's still a good kicker. So if you're getting rid of him, it's not because of production, or even age. It's because of money. He represents 2% of the salary cap. If you want that $2.7 million for another player, who are you replacing him with that's going to have the impact that a good kicker can have?

And as I said earlier, the argument that we're years away from contending isn't really a good reason to get rid of a player who can help us win games. The kicker plays a small role, but it's very important. Again, the Broncos don't make the playoffs last season without Matt Prater's leg. There's always a need for a good kicker, whether you think your team is a contender or not.

By the way, I need to go bleach my brain after that Rosie O'Donnell comment. Some of us think in pictures, man.